THE region is braced for a blustery bank holiday Easter Monday with rain and wind gusts of up to 40mph expected.

The whole of the UK is forecast to get traditional April showers today.

Gusts will be felt across most of Wales, in particular on Anglesey and in south Wales.

Light showers and cloudy conditions have already persisted over the weekend.

But heavier outbreaks are predicted today.

It comes after record high temperatures last month, followed by snow which covered parts of northern England, Wales and Scotland.

Snow was still clinging to the hills and mountains of Snowdonia yesterday.

Nick Prebble, forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said temperatures should return to normal for this time of the year over the holiday, with a maximum temperature of 13C (55F).

Mr Prebble said: “Easter Monday will be wet, windy and unsettled, and bring the traditional April showers.

“We’re predicting outbreaks of rain that will be heaviest in western parts of the UK, but should travel across the country.

“It could provide a bit of a reprieve for parts of the country facing drought but a lot more rainfall will be needed.

“Strong gales will pick up on Easter Monday in south west England and south Wales, but there will be fresh winds felt across the country.

“Maximum gusts of 40mph could hit Devon, Cornwall, South Wales and Anglesey.”

The windy weather is said by experts to be as a result of a low-pressure system coming in from the west coast.